On this Independence Day, let’s acknowledge the exceptional existence of these United States of America.

I came to America in 1975. Attending first grade that autumn in New Jersey, I quickly had to learn what my new country was all about. Helpfully for me, they spoke the same language, but apart from that, things were very different.

Each morning, we put our right hands over our hearts, faced the blackboard, and pledged allegiance to the flag. This was not something done in my previous schools in France and England.

My new hometown played an important role in the birth of the United States. Princeton was the site of a Revolutionary War battle, and it was later briefly the U.S. capital.

In 1976—for the Bicentennial celebration—we held historical reenactments commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence in nearby Philadelphia 200 years before.

Like most kids in public and private schools, I studied American history in eighth grade and again in 11th grade and learned what makes this country unique and special among nations.

Unlike challengers and rivals China, Iran, or Russia, our country is incredibly young. President Joe Biden was born closer to Abraham Lincoln’s (second) inauguration than his own. My father just turned 85, and if a baby born at the start........

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